India recently underlined the need for countries to take pre-2020 climate actions to curb emissions and sought cooperation among countries in finance and technology sectors to tackle climate change.”Cooperation is the key for taking (climate) actions. Every country is at a different stage of development. We need cooperation. We have the will to act,” said Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.Mr Javadekar said that India has already started the process of ratification of Paris Climate agreement and even during the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, both emphasised that the process should be completed at the earliest.

“But we do not have the wherewithal to do it, not only in terms of finances, but particularly in terms of technology. When we talk of technology, Germany is most reliable name in many fields and therefore, there is finance, technology and mutual cooperation and walking the talk,” Mr Javadekar said at a joint press conference with German Minister Barbara Hendricks at the Seventh St Petersburg Dialogue in Berlin.Since 2010, the annual dialogue has provided the opportunity for countries to engage in an informal exchange of experiences on international climate policy.

Mr Javadekar said that on October 5 last year, PM Modi and German Chancellor Angela Markel issued a joint statement which is the “basis” of India-Germany partnership programme.In a statement during the joint press briefing with Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Modi had said that he admired Merkel’s leadership in combating climate change and both the countries had agreed on an India-Germany Climate and Renewable Alliance with a long term vision and a comprehensive agenda of combating climate change.

PM Modi had also said that he placed great value on Germany’s assistance of over one billion Euros for India’s Green Energy Corridor and a new assistance package of over a billion Euros for solar projects in India.”What we have achieved in New York, we signed it (agreement). Now we have to implement it. So pre-2020 actions are also important and will also be discussed here in St Petersburg,” Mr Javadekar said adding that he was hopeful of the the outcome at this dialogue.

PM Modi in his statement last year with Ms Merkel had also said that both the countries looked forward to a concrete outcome at the 2015 Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris that strengthens the commitment and the ability of the world, especially of poor and vulnerable countries, to transition to a more sustainable growth path.”India has already started the process of ratification (of the agreement).”Recently when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Washington and had met President Obama, they emphasised that the process (of ratification) has to be done at the earliest and we (India) have already started in that direction,” Mr Javadekar said.He said that India has upscaled its solar energy target by five times and plans an expansion of 100 GW of solar energy.

“By 2050 you will be meeting 80 per cent of energy needs through renewables. That’s most laudable. Our earlier target was only 20 GW of solar energy.”When Modi came (to power), we upscaled it by five times and made it 100 GW. Other renewables like wind energy, we have opened it for offshore as well,” Mr Javadekar added.In reply to a question on what has changed for India which was earlier reluctant to join agreements, Mr Javadekar said that it is because the country has a Prime Minister who leads from the front, takes challenges head on and has the will to fight climate change.